Chapter 13: Kushida's Request
It seemed the clerks were already used to this… A public school, yet so accustomed to violence? What was going on with this school?
Hikigaya: "Wait, he's in our class, isn't he?"
Horikita: "If I got involved with someone like that, even my character would be criticized."
It was clear Horikita had no intention of dealing with this person. For those she wasn't interested in, that was just her personality.
"I'll let you off today…"
No actual violence occurred. The three so-called senpais looked at the red-haired hedgehog as if he were a toy.
"I can't bear to bully defective products like you."
"Are you scared to fight, huh?!"
"Hahaha, keep barking. You'll soon find out what real hell is like."
"What the hell! Damn it!"
The red-haired hedgehog kicked a trash can in frustration before storming off, full of resentment. Hikigaya, still in the convenience store, overheard their conversation.
'Hell… huh?'
To avoid running into the red-haired hedgehog and becoming his punching bag, Hikigaya chose a different route to leave.
[Horikita: "I'm absolutely certain this is our past. Everything in this video is exactly what I experienced. The only difference is you, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka."]
[Horikita's words once again drew the class's attention to Ayanokōji.]
[Horikita: "Aside from Ayanokōji being completely replaced by this guy named Hikigaya, nothing else has changed. What's going on?"]
[The others began gathering to discuss, while Ayanokōji, as usual, just shook his head slightly.]
[If it wasn't a school exam, it could only be the work of a White Room assassin. Those were the only two possibilities. If it was neither, he had no idea.]
[Ike: "Ugh, forget that. I really don't want to see how stupid I was at the start of school, spending all my points and not listening in class, leading to zero class points."]
[Shinohara: "Ike, stop it. We were all like that. Since it's the past, we can't change it, right?"]
[Kushida Kikyo: "No, although it's the past, the only variable is this guy Hikigaya. If he figured it out, he might be able to change the past."]
[Kushida was constantly thinking about making Ayanokōji disappear or drop out. This was a golden opportunity to erase his existence, and she wouldn't let it slip. If Hikigaya produced results, everyone would wonder why it was Ayanokōji in the class instead of Hikigaya.]
[Ayanokōji, of course, understood the meaning behind Kushida's words. But he wasn't weak enough to be erased by anyone.]
[Days passed like this, and with the information he had gathered, Hikigaya remained highly vigilant.]
[The class members gradually formed small cliques over time, and as expected… Hikigaya was left alone again.]
[Yukinoshita placed her fingers on her temples, as if exasperated: "Was it too cruel to send Hikigaya to a new school?"]
[Hikigaya: "No, it's the same everywhere. I don't have friends anyway."]
[Yuigahama gave a silly smile, looking a bit embarrassed: "Well, still… I consider Hikki an important person!"]
[Isshiki Iroha: "Yeah, if it weren't for senpai, I wouldn't have become student council president. So, no matter what, I have to take responsibility, right?"]
[In the Service Club, Hikigaya fell silent.]
Of course, he wasn't the only one left alone in the class. His desk mate, Horikita, hadn't spoken to him since they exchanged names at the convenience store.
Watching the boys in the class show off their newly bought electronics and the girls planning shopping trips after class, Hikigaya, just like at Sobu High, quietly took it all in.
It seemed they had no intention of saving their points. With 100,000 points a month, it was natural for them to spend recklessly.
Compared to them, he seemed completely out of place. No wonder he had no friends.
Ike: "Why did I buy that gaming console? I want to slap my past self."
Yamauchi: "Me too. I spent 80,000 points on a laptop and sold it for less than 30,000. So stupid."
The class discussed their past foolish actions, but only Ayanokōji, Horikita, Kushida, and Hirata kept their eyes on Hikigaya.
During lunch breaks, Hikigaya would eat alone on the rooftop. Through his observations, he noticed that Horikita Suzune always stayed in her seat, eating a sandwich alone.
He left the classroom, heading toward the rooftop, but was stopped by a girl with light brown short hair.
"Um, you're Hikigaya, right?"
The girl clasped her hands in front of her chest, trying hard to look like she was mustering courage.
But unfortunately, a performance was just a performance.
"Yeah, you're Kushida, right?"
"Great, you remember my name!"
"Well, it's hard not to notice."
The boy saw through the girl's pretense completely. Though he didn't yet know her true nature, this act was definitely fake.
"Um, do you have time now?"
"If I had to say, I'm about to eat."
"Please, it'll just take a moment!"
The girl bowed deeply, her body trembling as if afraid of rejection, eyes tightly shut. Though it was all an act, her performance was impressive. If he hadn't been trained to see through such things, he might have been fooled.
"Go ahead…"
'Even without the bow, I would listen. And you don't really want to do this, do you?'
"Are you and Horikita close friends?"
"You two are desk mates. My goal is to be friends with everyone in the school, right? So I asked Horikita for her number, but she refused, saying she's not interested in making friends."
"Yeah… that sounds like her."
As the boy said this, the girl suddenly rushed into his arms, tightly gripping his hands.
(End of this chapter )